Shozam Community

Shozam version 1.2.30 update is released

Razvan Neagu — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:12:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.2.30 update is now available for free download.

2008.10.06 - Version 1.2.30.0

Fixes:

Generate "modified files only" feature vastly improved and now requires far fewer files to be generated. When modifying large galleries, the time required to process, generate and upload your gallery files is decreased by 50-90%, leaving you more time to have fun!

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download latest version of Shozam Free Trial (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

Shozam version 1.2.29.0 update is released

Razvan Neagu — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:05:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.2.29.0 update is now available for free download. Particularly users of versions #.26 through .28 should upgrade to this latest version.

2008.06.09 - Version 1.2.29.0

Fixes:

Issue in version 1.2.28.0 related to Vista permissions.
Issue in version 1.2.28.0 related to licensing of the upload module.

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download latest version of Shozam Free Trial (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

Shozam version 1.2.27.0 update is released

Razvan Neagu — Tue, 06 May 2008 18:15:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.2.27.0 update is now available for free download.

2008.05.06 - Version 1.2.27.0

Fixes - this release mainly fixes issues reported by users related to the previous release

NOTE: Fixing map issues in existing galleries requires re-generating all HTML files. For this you can uncheck the "generate modified files only" in Step 5. This will also reprocess and re-generate all image files, which is not neccessary. Another option is to re-generate (all) HTML files only. For this, just change the View Type for the Gallery Map following the steps below:
> Start Shozam
> Step 1 --> choose to modify existing gallery
> Step 3 --> choose to modify an album (does not matter which)
> Step 2 --> select the the Map Tab --> deselect all thumbnails
> Click the View drop-down selector and select a different type
> Generate gallery (you can keep "generate modified files only" checked)
> Follow the steps above again and change the View Type back and re-generate (optional)
> Upload

11122: Fixed issue where Shozam did not run on Windows Vista. Ticket: 3C1-0FAB185D-3662
[Technical detail: Issue was triggered by the change of version format from four number groups to three. Fix relies on changing back to the longer version identification. The significance of each number is now as follows: 1) Major version, 2) Minor version, 3)Update release number, 4) Typically not significant.
10972: Expanded previous Map fix to display all markers on the main map of the gallery. Now this happens not only in new galleries but also in existing galleries, created by previous versions of Shozam
[Technical detail: Added support for trimming the XML for an existing gallery, making it compliant with the new format required by the changes to the map section]
11128: Fixed issue where the map label appeared on existing galleries.
[Technical detail: Fix above also fixes this issue]

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download latest version of Shozam Free Trial (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

Shozam version 1.2.26 update is being repaired

Razvan Neagu — Fri, 02 May 2008 19:35:00 GMT

We have discovered several issues with the latest version 1.2.26 update released a couple of days ago.

There are two main issues related to this version 1.2.26.

1. Some users on Vista cannot run the program correctly. This is due to Vista permission requirements and the functionality was affected in this release. Installing the previous version of the program will rectify this situation. You can install this from the regular location, as we have pulled out the new faulty update:
http://community.shozam.com/files/

2. Some user report that some of their images are not being generated correctly after installing the latest update. Pages get generated but red Xs get displayed in the browser where images should have appeared. This seems to be a permanent corruption in the sense that installing the previous version of Shozam will not correct the issue. We are still investigating the cause of this and the best fix for it. As a last resort, users should install the previous version of Shozam, delete the affected images and then add them back to the gallery.

We appreciate you patience as we work on resolving the pending issues and are sorry for inconveniences caused to the affected users. Thanks to the users reporting the issues and assisting our fixing efforts through the Shozam Helpdesk. We currently expect all to be sorted out by early next week and provide a new clean program update at that time.

Shozam version 1.2.26 update is released

Razvan Neagu — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 21:53:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.2.26 update is now available for free download.

2008.04.30 - Version 1.2.26

Improvements

10973 Improved interoperability with Microsoft FrontPage. Fixed issue where Shozam Slideshow Page displays tiny 31px x 31px images.
[Technical detail: Issue was caused by FrontPage with Server Extensions enabled on the server as FrontPage would edit gallery pages without any explicit command to do so or any notification to the user that it has done this. Fix includes specific code on the Slideshow pages instructing FrontPage to not touch those files.]
Knowledgebase: http://helpdesk.shozam.com/Customer/KBArticle.aspx?articleid=3
Forums: http://community.shozam.com/forums/p/639/3364.aspx
Forums: http://community.shozam.com/forums/p/496/3358.aspx
10972 Improved Gallery Map functionality. Fixed issue where Map does not display all markers on the main Gallery Map. This fix affects only newly created galleries.

[Technical details: Changed the assumption of showing the gallery map with only one particular marker as it is given to global gallery map. Default changed to show all the markers of maps in the gallery. If user does not selected any image in the album, then Shozam will disable all the controls, except the View selector which allows user to select the type of view for the Gallery Map.]
Forums: http://community.shozam.com/forums/p/949/3305.aspx

Fixes

10974 Improved program stability. Fixed crash which happened under some situations when user in Step 3 clicks on an album while Shozam is still loading other albums.
[Technical detail: implementation was changed as in the case of user clicking Next/Prev buttons.]
10381 Improve page layout artifacts and cross-browser compatibility. Fixed issue where on longer gallery pages (like when having many PayPal Buy buttons, which extend the height of the gallery page) the page footer does not go all the way to the bottom of the page when viewing the page in Firefox and Safari. Rather, it overlapped with page content (or the Buy buttons). Ticket: 232-0F248F19-881 (other support tickets related to this issue as well)
[Technical detail: Adjusted a CSS class from "height =..." to "min-height =..." to support both Firefox and Safari browsers along with IE.]
Forums: http://community.shozam.com/forums/p/903/3147.aspx

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download latest version of Shozam Free Trial (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

Shozam version 1.1.0.25 update is released

Razvan Neagu — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:48:00 GMT

Note this version update has been available for some time but not officially announced until now. You can check to see if you have the latest version by starting Shozam on your computer and looking at the version number displayed in the Shozam window title bar.

Shozam version 1.1.0.25 update is now available for free download.

2008.01.18 - Version 1.1.0.25

Fixes

10353 Program freeze at times when uploading large galleries (support ticket 203-0F104D91-93BC)
10365 The Other tab in Step 2 of the Trial Express edition did not display.
10366 Issue in image maps; sometimes last location would override all other locations

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download new Shozam Lite Edition (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

Shozam version 1.1.0.24 update is released

Razvan Neagu — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:43:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.1.0.24 update is now available for free download.

2008.01.03 - Version 1.1.0.24

Fixes

10230 Shozam now accepts 6-digit affiliate numbers (support ticket 274-0EFBBC01-94AF9921)
9921 Fixed stability issue with VideoWidget (support ticket 06C-0ED10D5B-4B52)
10129 Fixed issue with gallery upload (support ticket 22F-0EE9A8B6-6159)

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

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Shozam at Imaging USA

kkford — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 02:22:00 GMT

Shozam will be on exhibit at Imaging USA, the world's largest photography conference, in Tampa, FL. We are excited to be a part of this event and demonstrate Shozam to the uninitated. If you're planning to attend Imaging USA, stop by the exhibition and see us, KOMOTION, at booth #1823; we would love to meet you!

Imaging USA, January 6-8, 2008, at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, FL.

Shozam version 1.1.0.23 update is released

Razvan Neagu — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 05:34:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.1.0.23 update is now available for free download.

2007.11.01 - Version 1.1.0.23

Fixes

8876 Clicking on view files after changing gallery name no longer crashes program
9797 Fix situation when a previously created gallery was not recognized by Shozam any longer (support ticket 192-0EB6DBD3-D7B8 )
9798 Fix situation where images form revious albums appeared selected in a new album for Intro Animation.
9800 Fix situation where intro animation does not appear if album has manual option selected and also images from other albums

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

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Shozam version 1.1.0.22 update is now available

Razvan Neagu — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 02:11:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.1.0.22 update is now available for download.

2007.09.24 - Version 1.1.0.22

Fixes

8791 Step 2 - Right-click on thumbnail displays the context menu and no longer produces an error

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download new Shozam Lite Edition (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

All Shozam UPGRADE versions are now available

Razvan Neagu — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 03:16:00 GMT

If you were waiting to upgrade your Shozam Edition and found a "SOON" button holding you back, wait no more... All upgrades are now available. Just click on the upgrade link on the left side in Step 1 of the program. This will display a Web page showing you the editions you can upgrade to and the special upgrade price for each. The SOON buttons have been replaced by BUY buttons. Happy Shozamming!

Shozam version 1.1.0.20 update is now available

Razvan Neagu — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 03:02:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.1.0.20 update is now available for download.

2007.08.10 - Version 1.1.0.20

Improvements

8143: Changed generate metatag for Shozam BusinessPlus Edition

7813 and 7812: Split the Free/Trial Edition into dedicated versions of the program

New version of Shozam Lite Edition (now is a paid version but no Promo Album is generated)

8129: Updated EULA to accomodate new Shozam Lite Edition and Shozam Trial

Fixes

7921 System is no loner crashing in Step 2 (without any album) when clicking on "close" and then "back" button.
7918 Step X (on close) now displays properly
7916 Step 1 now displays the correct file
7910 Help link: “About Shozam Editions” is not showing complete absolute link.
7923 Images from previous gallery no longer get displayed on Step 2 while creating a new gallery
7837 Video widget is now added when"Generate modified files only" is checked.
7954 Edit the pop up message when converting a WGW gallery with new Trial edition on Step 1
7946 Shozam Trial: Correct features are now enabled when moving from higher edition to lower
7942 Lite Edition -> Step 5 - No longer crash on 'Image' and 'Protect' tab
7941 Lite Edition -> Step 2 -> No longer crash when clicking on 'trying' disabled tabs.
8137: Program now does not fail when previewing generated gallery and default Web browser is Firefox
8495: Changed the MAC address dependency of the program works when Internet Connection is disabled from the Windows Network Connections Window (Error was: Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library,Assertion failed!)

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download new Shozam Lite Edition (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

How to move galleries from one computer to another

Razvan Neagu — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 22:30:00 GMT

This question may come up in the following scenarios:

You are a Web designer who creates galleries others, and you need to send completed galleries to someone else
You bought a new computer to replace your old one, so you need to move the Shozam program, the galleries and your images to your new computer
You use a desktop computer and a laptop; you may want to use both to operate on the same gallery online

There are a number of solutions for each of the scenarios above. To determine what is right for you, it is best to understand how Shozam works. All the input you enter in Shozam when you create a gallery is captured and stored in a gallery project file named WebGallery.xml. This file is created by Shozam in the root of your gallery folder, which by default looks like this:
C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\My Documents\My Shozam Galleries\[Gallery Title]/WebGallery.xml

This xml file includes the paths of all the images you add to your gallery, image captions, album descriptions and all other options and settings that you enter in the program when you create your gallery. The xml file is created the first time you generate the gallery and is updated each time you modify your gallery. In Step 1, if you choose to modify an existing gallery, you basically need to point Shozam to the folder that contains the existing gallery. The program then looks for the xml file and needs to be able to validate it and read it in order for you to be able to advance to the next step and modify your gallery.

The xml file contains several important references which need to be correct in order for the program to validate it as a Shozam gallery project file. You can open this file in Notepad and see some of those references. Here is an example of the pertinent information which can be found in the xml file (additional information in the file that is not relevant for this discussion has been removed):

<data version="1.1.0.19">
<WebInfo>
    <Folder>C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\My Documents\My Shozam Galleries</Folder>
    <Theme>0</Theme>
    <GenAdvOpt>0</GenAdvOpt>
    <AlbumNameSeed>1</AlbumNameSeed>
    <ThemeFolder>C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\My Documents\My Shozam Themes\[Custom Theme Name]</ThemeFolder>
    <ThemeName>[Custom Theme Name]</ThemeName>
    <WebName>[Gallery Title]</WebName>
</WebInfo>
<album>
    <info>
      <albumpage>1</albumpage>
      <albumimagepath>C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\My Documents\My Pictures\8957ae.jpg</albumimagepath>
    </info>
    <group>
      <picture>
        <name>C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\My Documents\My Pictures\8957ae.jpg</name>
      </picture>
      <picture>
        <name>C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\My Documents\My Pictures\B2_07.jpg</name>
      </picture>
      <picture>
        <name>C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\My Documents\My Pictures\B2_03.jpg</name>
      </picture>
      <picture>
        <name>C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\My Documents\My Pictures\B2_04.jpg</name>
      </picture>
    </group>
</album>
</data>

NOTE: As a convention, we are placing variables in square brackets and italics; so, for example, when you see [User Name] in a path above and the name for your Windows user account is John Doe, then you should have that name instead. So your My Documents folder path will be C:\Documents and Settings\John Doe\My Documents

As you can see highlighted above, the xml file contains references to the folder containing the gallery folder, the folder containing the custom theme (if a custom theme is used) and the paths for each image used. For Shozam to be able to open and edit an existing gallery, it needs to ensure that at least the first two are valid.

So, if you want to be able to edit on a new computer a gallery that was generated using an old computer, here are the general steps you should take:

Install Shozam on the new computer.
Copy the gallery(ies) from the old computer to the same relative location on the new computer; so if the gallery files resided in My Documents\My Shozam Galleries\[Gallery Title] , copy the [Gallery Title] folder and paste it in My Documents\My Shozam Galleries on your new computer. If the new computer is used by another user, then you will need to edit the xml file and replace [User Name] with the correct one.
Copy the custom theme(s) from the old computer to the same relative location on the new computer; so if your themes resided in My Documents\My Shozam Galleries Themes\[Custom Theme Name], copy the whole My Shozam Themes folder (or just the themes you want) and paste it in the same relative location on your new computer. As above, make sure the new path is the same as the old path and if not, edit the xml file accordingly.
Do the same for all images. Note that this is optional. It is not critical for Shozam to find the original images at the location from where they were originally added into the program (and captured in the xml file.) This is because if Shozam does not find the original at that location, it will then use the image it has previously generated and that is already part of the gallery files. However, it is important to understand that if the program does not find the original images, it will not be able to perform certain functions such as change the level of compression or place watermarks on the images. All image processing features require the program to be able to access the "original" images, at the location from where they were originally added from.

This content was also posted in the FAQ section of the Shozam Online Help:
http://www.helpconsole.com/Shozam/default.aspx?page=FAQs2.aspx

Bypass Shozam image processing/ Setting image file compression to 100

Razvan Neagu — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 22:19:00 GMT

This article provides more information on two related topics:

Users who want to bypass Shozam image processing so they can do JPEG compression and image sharpening in their image editing program of choice
Users who want to learn more about the JPEG compression slider and what happens if they set it to 100

EXPLANATION

Shozam always processes images that it generates. You can control the file size vs. compression trade-offs in Step 5 on the Image tab for all images or in Step 2 on the Other tab on an image by image basis. Setting the slider all the way to 100 means that the program will minimize the compression of the file; the JPEG compression algorithm will provide utmost fidelity to the "original" image given. This works the same as in Adobe Photoshop when you maximize the quality of the JPEG compression (and probably the same as in your image editing program). JPEG image processing/compression has to happen each time the image is saved. Setting the slider to 100 does not mean the image will not get processed/compressed; it just means that it will compress it very little in order to achieve highest fidelity, albeit at a much larger size.

It is important to realize that if the image was already compressed for a certain file size vs. quality ratio, then setting the JPEG quality slider to 100 will only increase file size with no increase of quality. The quality of the image cannot be increased beyond that of the original, particularly if no scaling is being performed on the image.

Preventing processing of images is not typically possible at this point with Shozam but may be a feature we can consider adding at a later time (give option to not process any images that do not need to be scaled). Note that if the original image fits the size of the Large Pages but it is larger than images to fit the QuickView Pages, the images would still need to be "touched" to be scaled down for the QuickView Pages and thus processed including using the Shozam engine to do JPEG compression. So the benefit of a feature to leave "large" images alone will be limited to the Large Page images.

There are two cases by which images bypass the Shozam image processing engine:

Including Original images in Step 2 Options tab and deselecting any scaling option
If the image has already been processed and is available in the gallery and is not available any longer at the original location from where it was added into Shozam
This means that if you desire a high degree of finesse and control over the compression and sharpening of each image, you can go into the respective folders where the images reside within the gallery file structure and redo them there. If Shozam cannot find the originals at the path it expects them to be (where they were originally added into Shozam) then the program will not touch these images any longer.

This article has been posted in the Shozam Help Desk Knowledgebase:
http://helpdesk.shozam.com/Customer/KBArticle.aspx?articleid=4

Just how much Faster is Shozam?

Razvan Neagu — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 22:34:00 GMT

Here’s another reason to use a client-side Web gallery generator that you don’t hear about much: upload time.

Because Shozam optimizes images within the program (making them Web friendly), and the entire gallery is uploaded at once, I knew uploading a Shozam gallery was a lot faster than uploading photos to an online service. But I wanted to find out exactly how much faster, so I did a test.

I created a gallery with 547 images, which took me 30 minutes (10 minutes to import images into the gallery and 20 minutes to generate the gallery).

A quick aside: For the record, there are no inherent limitations on how many images you can import into Shozam. We’ve received a couple of emails from people saying they received an error message that “Too many files were selected. Please select fewer files.” This is a Windows Operating System limitation, which generates the error message if you select more than 200 files. To bring more pictures into your Shozam albums, just make sure you bring them in batches of no more than 200 each.

Back to my test gallery. The 547 source images in this gallery were originally generated by a 7.2 Mega Pixel camera (Casio Exilim EX-2750) totaling 2 GB. Shozam took these images and created an optimized gallery of 60 MB – a 40x reduction in size. It took an hour to upload the Shozam gallery using Qwest DSL that we have in our corporate offices. Uploading the original images to the same Web host would have taken 40 times longer, or almost two days and nights of continuous uploading! And that is assuming the connection remains active without any glitches during the upload process.

The actual gallery I created, with stats, is on the Examples page of our Web site:
http://www.shozam.com/examples/index.htm

The net result: Shozam galleries upload 40 times faster. To me, this is a significant time savings. Let me know some of the other advantages you see using a Web gallery generator vs. a photo sharing service.

Shozam featured on Tucows Shareware Spotlight!

Razvan Neagu — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 01:06:00 GMT

Tucows is the oldest and most respected download provider of high quality shareware software in the world. Tucow's Shareware Spotlight is authored by Michael Callahan, known as "Dr. File Finder." He is regarded as the world's leading expert on shareware. We are pleased he has chosen to feature Shozam in his Shareware Spotlight.

Check out our nice write-up on Tucows:
http://www.tucows.com/solutions_detail.html?article_id=1667

If you've been happy with Shozam, give us a "Thumbs Up" User Rating. They do require a log-in before you can post comments, but we hope you do it anyway.

Fleeing Photosite and Yahoo? Get 15% off Shozam Express Edition

Razvan Neagu — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 01:47:00 GMT

It’s been a tough summer for photo sharing services. I sympathize with people who have to contend with the demise of their online photo service. Not only are precious images at stake, but it can be a huge hassle to recreate galleries with hundreds, sometimes thousands, of photos. Whenever a Photosite or a Yahoo Photos goes out of business, it really highlights the importance of user control.

If the thought of going to yet another photo sharing service makes you cringe, try an alternative: Shozam Web Gallery Generator. Anyone can create a top-notch gallery – HTML knowledge is not required. Because the gallery is generated on your computer, you are in complete control. If you want to change Web hosts, it's easy to just move your gallery to a new host. Uploading an optimized Shozam gallery is 40 times faster than uploading photos to a Web host (more about this later). And, if the Web host goes down, you have a copy of all your work residing safely on your own computer.

Download Shozam and try it out for free. As an extra nudge, we’ll give you 15% off the Shozam Express Edition, the fastest, easiest way to create your own Web gallery. Just enter this coupon code on the order form: SHOZ-L644-REF

Welcome to Shozam. Photosite and Yahoo Photos, R.I.P.

Online video converters

Razvan Neagu — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:52:00 GMT

We have updated the "About video" help page with some good information related to Video resources:

Video Resources

Online video converters

The following online Web service sites can convert you video into various formats so they can get optimized for viewing over the Web.

Zamzar - converts all sorts of file formats, including several video formats.
Media Convert - a media converter with a huge amount of options; resulting videos can sometimes be out of sync with audio.
Vixy - a simple converter that can only convert Flash apps from the web to several other video formats.
Hey Watch! - an online video converter focusing on file formats that works on portable multimedia devices, like the iPod.
MediaConverter - a video converter that can be slow and needs polishing, but can sometimes yield really good results.
Movavi - another video converter that allows you to upload videos and convert them to formats you wish to use.

Online video tools

The following online Web service sites provide you with additional video related tools

Hellodeo - Record videos from your webcam and post them on any Shozam gallery web page.
Flikzor - Send and receive video comments on your Shozam gallery.
Flixn - Record a video message right in the web browser and share anywhere including your Shozam gallery.
Bubble Guru - A site for recording webcam video messages and getting them onto your website or sending to others.
ClipSyndicate - publish broadcast quality news on your web site.
Broadbandsports - a big collection of sports-related videos.

Online video sharing services

Video services, like YouTube, let you upload your videos. YouTube accepts video files from most digital cameras, camcorders, and cell phones in the .WMV, .AVI, .MOV, and .MPG file formats. For more about uploading and converting video on YouTube, visit their Help Center and Video Toolbox.

YouTube - YouTube is the king of the video sharing sites, it has more users and videos than the others. Any video you can think of it probably already on YouTube.
Google Video - Since Google bought YouTube, Google’s Video player is mainly used for for-pay content like TV shows. Also there is a search here that indexes all of the video sharing sites on the internet (well, most of them).
Blip.tv - Blip.tv is the perfect video sharing site for video podcast makers. It’s designed to let them easily upload all types and qualities of media and then send them to their feed for the users. They also let you add ads to you video so you can make some money.
Veoh - Watch long form, television quality content and publish your own videos.
DailyMotion - Video sharing platform with multiple video search options. You can join groups of people who publish videos based on a common interest.
Metacafe - A site that helps you discover the best videos through a community that filters, reviews and rates new videos every day.
UnCut - Video uploading and sharing community by AOL. Embed all the videos you want in your Shozam gallery.
5min - Video sharing site with a particular vision: collecting videos that can visually explain anything in 5 minutes.
Viddler - Viddler lets add tags and comments to video that will show up at specific times.
Revver - The first video sharing site that provides users with the possibility to earn money from the videos they upload.
Yahoo Video - Yahoo’s version of online video. Similar to Google video, but done the Yahoo way.
HelpfulVideo - Share your knowledge and skills with others for free or little charge via video clips.
BroadbandSports - A video sharing site specifically for sharing sports related videos.
Travelistic - A video sharing site that allows users to post video content specific to travel.
Kewego - A video sharing network where you can upload your own videos and view videos by others.
Godtube - It’s a Christian version of YouTube. All things Christian welcomed.
VMIX - Another video sharing website; All content is screened, so be sure everything you upload is legit.
Grouper - Video sharing site with a big selection of content; enables you to create playlists and easily upload videos to MySpace.

Online video editors

Eyespot - add effects and transitions to the videos you upload, or use some of the large amount of free video clips and music from Eyespot’s media partners.
MuveeMix - Upload your movie, mix it with music, add cool effects and share it on your Shozam gallery.
Motionbox - This service features the ability to link to a very specific point or “segment” within the clip itself.
Cuts - Insert sound effects in your videos, add captions, loop the best parts and in minutes you can share your creation with the world.
JumpCut - a free service that enables you to upload, edit and share your videos. Offers keyframe-based editing, effects, transitions and actions.
VideoEgg - A video editing platform that you can add to create a social network and offers opportunities for monetization.
Mojiti - Select videos from popular video sharing sites, personalize them with your annotations and share them with others.
StashSpace - Upload, store and edit your videos online. You can also record videos directly from your camcorder or digital camera.
BubblePly - Video annotating service where anyone can add text bubbles that are synchronized with video.
Veotag - Service that lets you display clickable text, called “veotags,” within an audio or video file.
Vidavee Grafitti - add graphics and text into any video; the service is called a “legal form of artful vandalism” by the creators.
Vmix - Vmix is a community and a hosting provider for your videos, aimed at creative authors who want to create remixes of their music and videos.
MovieMasher - a combination of a video editor with a timeline and lots of various effects, a standalone player and a media browser.
MixerCast - Mix your media with professional video, images, music, and network your MixerCast everywhere.
Fliptrack - Make a free musical photo slideshow and music video. It’s easy to do and you do it online.

Online video hosting

The following online Web service sites provide you with hosting for video files

TinyPic - Host videos and images for free; it is possible to upload videos in the most popular formats and link videos on your Shozam gallery Web pages
Vidilife - Upload videos and store them online. There is no limit in terms of length of the files you can upload.
Dropshots - Good site that lets you upload videos, share them and embed them on other sites and in your Shozam gallery.
ZippyVideos - Upload and store video files (maximum 20 MB) in the most popular video formats.
Supload - Free service to host video clips and images. Maximum video file size allowed is 20 MB.
Rupid - Another provider of free video hosting: you can host your videos and share them with others.
Pixilive - Free images and video hosting for your Shozam gallery and other sites. Maximum size for videos is 10 MB.
Mydeo - store and stream your videos online. You will be able to embed a video on any website and send streaming video messages.
YourFileHost - Upload files anonymously and share them with others. You can upload any file format up to 25 MB.

Online video how-to

Better YT Video Quality - This guide helps you with getting the best possible video quality on YouTube, can be applied to other sites as well.
Make Internet TV - This guide has step-by-step instructions for shooting, editing, and publishing videos on the Internet.
How to put your readers at the scene - A scene-setting guide for online web journalists.
Tips for shooting better online video - learn the equipment, shooting and editing basics from this collection of tips.
Online video tips - a Squidoo lens with several useful online video shooting and editing tips.
Home video tips - Chris Pirillo’s tips for shooting better videos at home.
Camcorderinfo - Every online video comes from a camcorder, so here is the best place to get opinions on your next camcorder purchase.
5 Ways To Create a Great Video Podcast - A great article that applies to both video podcasts and video production in general.

Shozam version 1.0.1.16 update is now available

Razvan Neagu — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 18:20:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.0.1.16 update is now available for download.

2007.06.26 - Version 1.0.1.16

Fixes

7718: Step 1 --> Activation tab: Correct hex to decimal conversion for the hardware id
7725: Image 'Long description' value is now used in the 'Description' meta-tag for that Image Map Page

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download new Shozam Lite Edition (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

Shozam version 1.0.1.15 update is now available

Razvan Neagu — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 02:00:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.0.1.15 update is now available for download.

2007.06.25 - Version 1.0.1.15

Improvements

7654: Add "Move top" and "Move bottom" buttons in Step 2 --> Image tab --> Arrange
7620: Store the Upload Preset selection in each each gallery so it will be selected by default when going back to modify that gallery
7718: Modify Register tab in Step 1, now called "Activation" and providing a clearer interface
7725: Album description is now used for the Description meta-tag on all album-wide pages
7702: Customize Step 1 page for each edition and first time in Lite
Online help files updated (Tag tab page)

Fixes

7725: Album description is now used for the Description meta-tag on all album-wide pages
7726: Step 2 --> Video tab: Fixed crash after clicking on any "Move..." buttons
7727: Step 1 --> Activation tab: Fixed crash when clicking on tab in Windows Vista Ultimate 64-bit

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download new Shozam Lite Edition (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

Shozam version 1.0.0.14 update is now available

Razvan Neagu — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 08:19:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.0.0.14 update is now available for download.

2007.06.18 - Version 1.0.0.14

Improvements

7670: Register Tab in Step 1 (can now enter Name/Key for manual activations)
7674: Lite Edition - Promo Album update
7673: Lite Edition - Custom Step 7 (feedback page)
7672: New Step 1 page when running program for the first time and for each edition
7584: Large picture size for the original image now has scrollbar

Fixes

7619: Slideshow now stops and remains stopped after user clicks "next"
7572: Step 2 --> Other Tab: Album thumbnail section is now enabled in "modify" mode
7556: Corrected gallery statistics displayed when generating gallery from Lite Edition
7621: Affiliate ID is now retained when modifying gallery
Improved overall security

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download new Shozam Lite Edition (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

Shozam version 1.0.0.13 update is now available

Razvan Neagu — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 20:38:00 GMT

Shozam version 1.0.0.13 update is now available for download.

This download will update all editions. Previous version of Shozam required to be present on your computer.

2007.06.04 - Version 1.0.0.13

Fixes

7553: Step 5 --> Gallery now generates successfully even when image has unsupported EXIF metadata
7540: Step 4 --> Installing new themes now shows the correct theme preview image on the left
7533: Going back after generating gallery without any further modifications does no longer display "your input is not saved" warning
7525: Step 5 --> Protect transparency slider shows disabled when choosing text watermark option since text transparency is not supported
7355: Application is no longer destabilized when clicking "Back" and "Next" buttons briskly one after the other
7557: Step 5 --> Text change from "analysing file" to "Analysing file"
7567: Fix crash occuring under specific cicumstances after making changes to a theme (such as changing the theme preview image) and then trying to use that theme in a following progam session

Download Shozam update (older version of Shozam required; updates all editions)

Download new Shozam Lite Edition (install on computer without any previous Shozam installation)

Designing for Simplicity

Razvan Neagu — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 00:27:00 GMT

Many members of the Shozam Community are power users of the software. They explore all the features, delve into all the program’s capabilities and push against its limits. But many users don’t want all that detail. They just want a software program that does what they need it to do, simply, quickly and reliably.

At the end of the day, for power and casual users alike, no one wants to spend a lot of time working their way up the learning curve. So, the challenge is to design software that is simple enough for everyone and powerful enough for those who want a richer experience. So how are these two seemingly opposing goals brought together in Shozam?

A research paper published in 1956 hypothesized that human working memory can hold up to seven bits of information, plus or minus two, at once. Referred to as “Miller’s Magic 7,” this theory was the basis for the seven-digit phone number, the recommended maximum of menu items on a Web page, among other things (The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, anyone?). Even Apple’s iPod has no more than seven user input options.

So what about top Web sites like Amazon and Ebay that have significantly more than seven points of interaction? Most people find these sites very logical and easy to navigate. Why? Categorization – grouping related items. More recent research indicates that people are quite good at filtering out details that are not important to them: the modern mind has become acclimated to information overload.

When designing the Shozam program, we used both Magic 7 and categorization. The Shozam user interface has six “Steps” based on gallery hierarchy, and typically no more than seven decision points per screen. Perhaps even more important for usability is the compartmentalization of related actions. The “Image” tab holds all functions related to a specific image, the “Sell” tab to shopping cart functionality, and so on. It may not seem difficult to create a usability experience with these factors taken into account, but it is.

For Shozam, all this theory boils down to a program that is as simple, or as advanced, as the user needs it to be. A Shozam user can literally create a gallery using just the first tabs of each of the 5 Steps (in Step 6: Upload Gallery, a user needs to venture into the secondary “Presets” tab to enter upload information). Creating a Shozam gallery can be as easy as adding images, choosing a theme and hitting “Generate.” Done. Power users will find enough customization options in the program to create a gallery uniquely their own. And most everyone finds their path through Shozam Web Gallery Generator to be intuitive, logical, easy – and fun!

Shozam version 1.0.0.12 is now available

Razvan Neagu — Fri, 25 May 2007 18:39:00 GMT

We have just posted an update for Shozam. This new version provides some fixes and a few new features. Apple's video file format (.MOV) is now supported so you can add .MOV video files into your gallery. These types of video files require Apple's QuickTime player to be present on the computer for playback. You are also able to view those videos on the local version of your gallery, as opposed to the Windows Media videos which require your gallery files to be uploaded before you can see the videos play in your gallery. You can also now add custom image thumbnails for your video files. We also planning to add a small video icon to those thumbnails (similar to the audio and map thumbnail icons); expect this in a follow-up release.

Additionally, Shozam is now providing an enhanced Summary Report when generating a gallery. It looks something like this:

SUMMARY REPORT
Number of item(s) to sell: 0
Number of hidden album(s): 0
Theme Name: CrossFade-PastelRosesFrame
Gallery generated: Modified files only
Mark of Web HTML code generated: Yes
EXIF metadata displayed: Yes
Slideshow timer (in seconds): 3
Right click protection for images: Not protected
Watermark enabled: No

NEW FEATURES

Step 2 --> Video Tab: You can now import Apple .MOV video files (uses QuickTime player)
Step 2 --> Video Tab: You can add custom thumbnail image for Video Pages
Step 5 --> Generate Tab: Enhanced Summary Report provided on the left after generating gallery

FIXES

7467: Theme Editor font size units are now simplified to show only "px" (pixels)
7518: Application window can now be opened in conditions where it previously failed
7529: Summary Report modified to show correct results
7530: Fixed invalid message "Invalid custom theme specified..." while modifying gallery
7531: Gallery size is displayed only after gallery is generated in the same session
7535: Summary Report is now displayed only after gallery is generated in the same session
FTP Upload syntax improved to work with Linux/Unix servers where it was failing before

Download Shozam version 1.0.0.12

Just Released! Shozam Web Gallery Generator

kkford — Fri, 11 May 2007 21:51:00 GMT

We are pleased to announce the release of the free Shozam Lite Edition and the Shozam Business Edition. Other Editions will follow in the coming weeks.

Click here to download the free Shozam Lite Edition.

We are offering introductory pricing on the Shozam Business Edition of 35% off for purchases made before June 1, 2007.

Click here for 35% off the Shozam Business Edition.